Television

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

President Obama's Washington Post Op-Ed on Solitary Confinement

President Barack Obama

Washington Post, January 25, 2016

In 2010, a 16-year-old named Kalief
Browder from the Bronx was accused of stealing a backpack. He was sent
to Rikers Island to await trial, where he reportedly endured unspeakable
violence at the hands of inmates and guards — and spent nearly two years in
solitary confinement.

In 2013, Kalief was released, having never stood trial. He
completed a successful semester at Bronx Community College. But life was a
constant struggle to recover from the trauma of being locked up alone for 23
hours a day. One Saturday, he committed suicide at home. He was just 22 years
old.

Solitary confinement gained popularity in the United States
in the early 1800s, and the rationale for its use has varied over time. Today,
it’s increasingly overused on people such as Kalief, with heartbreaking results
— which is why my administration is taking steps to address this problem.

Research suggests that solitary confinement has the
potential to lead to devastating, lasting psychological consequences. It has
been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact
with others and the potential for violent behavior. Some studies indicate that
it can worsen existing mental illnesses and even trigger new ones. Prisoners in
solitary are more likely to commit suicide, especially juveniles and people
with mental illnesses.

The United States is a nation of second chances, but the
experience of solitary confinement too often undercuts that second chance.
Those who do make it out often have trouble holding down jobs, reuniting with
family and becoming productive members of society. Imagine having served your
time and then being unable to hand change over to a customer or look your wife
in the eye or hug your children.

As president, my most important job is to keep the American
people safe. And since I took office, overall crime rates have decreased by more than 15 percent.
In our criminal justice system, the punishment should fit the crime — and those
who have served their time should leave prison ready to become productive
members of society. How can we subject prisoners to unnecessary solitary
confinement, knowing its effects, and then expect them to return to our
communities as whole people? It doesn’t make us safer. It’s an affront to our
common humanity.

That’s why last
summer, I directed Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and the Justice
Department to review the overuse of solitary confinement across U.S. prisons.
They found that there are circumstances when solitary is a necessary tool, such
as when certain prisoners must be isolated for their own protection or in order
to protect staff and other inmates. In those cases, the practice should be
limited, applied with constraints and used only as a measure of last resort.
They have identified common-sense principles that should guide the use of
solitary confinement in our criminal justice system.

The Justice Department has completed its review, and I am
adopting its recommendations to reform the federal prison
system. These include banning solitary confinement for juveniles and as a
response to low-level infractions, expanding treatment for the mentally ill and
increasing the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their
cells. These steps will affect some 10,000 federal prisoners held in solitary
confinement — and hopefully serve as a model for state and local corrections
systems. And I will direct all relevant federal agencies to review these
principles and report back to me with a plan to address their use of solitary
confinement.

States that have led the way are already seeing positive
results. Colorado cut the number of people in solitary confinement, and
assaults against staff are the lowest they’ve been since 2006. New Mexico
implemented reforms and has seen a drop in solitary confinement, with more
prisoners engaging in promising rehabilitation programs. And since 2012,
federal prisons have cut the use of solitary confinement by 25 percent and
significantly reduced assaults on staff.

Reforming solitary confinement is just one part of a broader
bipartisan push for criminal justice reform. Every year, we spend $80 billion to keep 2.2 million
people incarcerated. Many criminals belong behind bars. But too many
others, especially nonviolent drug offenders, are serving unnecessarily long
sentences. That’s why members of Congress in both parties are pushing for
change, from reforming sentencing laws to expanding reentry programs to give
those who have paid their debt to society the tools they need to become
productive members of their communities. And I hope they will send me
legislation as soon as possible that makes our criminal justice system smarter,
fairer, less expensive and more effective.

In America, we believe in redemption. We believe, in the
words of Pope Francis, that “every human person is endowed with an
inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of
those convicted of crimes.” We believe that when people make mistakes, they
deserve the opportunity to remake their lives. And if we can give them the hope
of a better future, and a way to get back on their feet, then we will leave our
children with a country that is safer, stronger and worthy of our highest
ideals.

About Matt

An analysis of crime and punishment from the perspective of a former prosecutor and current criminal justice practitioner.
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or postions of any county, state or federal agency.